Key

Word: Key
Genre: Fantasy

The cave was dim, the air stale, but Ulrich the elf grinned nonetheless.

It was finally hers. All hers.

She hovered over the open trap door, gazing down at the chamber below, filled to the brim with gold, platinum, sparkling jewels, and countless other treasures. It was almost too much to comprehend. The light, filtering through the dust from the hole she’d descended through in the cave roof, made the riches shimmer and glow on the smooth walls—like fairies dancing through a meadow at night.

“What will you do with it all?” Phoneom said, standing close behind her. Too close. He always did that.

“Can you back up?” she hissed, irritated that he’d broken her from the spell of her treasure with his banal question.

“Sorry,” he replied. She could sense him take a step back. “But what will you do?”

“You bloody know what I’m going to do,” she murmured, staring down. There was so much. One could divide it into two and still be wealthier and more powerful than imagination would believe. One could have half and do anything they wanted to do. Help or hurt anyone.

But it was all hers.

“Are you sure?” the voice seemed quieter. More thoughtful. Or maybe it was just her imagination.

“I’ve never been surer of anything,” she replied.

“You’re better than this, Ulrich.” The whisper of his voice, the heartfelt, pleading, whisper, quietly echoed around her. It was more than she could bear.

She whipped around, drawn sword in one hand, trap door key in the other.

She was alone.

Of course she was. It was all her mind playing tricks.

Phoneom lay dead up at the lip of the hole, her dagger in his heart. He’d been a good friend, had helped her find the key, but he’d never understood her need for revenge. He would have just gotten in the way.  

She turned back to the treasure. Her treasure. As she looked down, the glow faded, and for the first time, it felt less like her answer – and more like her prison.

This is a part of my Daily Writing Challenge, where I write a short story inspired by a single word and genre prompt each day. The goal is to rekindle my creativity and try to reignite the storytelling embers.